Remediation work at The Children's Hospital at Westmead

The Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW) is preparing to commence soil excavation and remediation work on an area of the Hospital gardens in preparation for the construction of a new playground.

When The Children's Hospital at Westmead was built in the early 1990s, asbestos contaminated soil was remediated and appropriately encapsulated in the area where only gardens were planned. At the time this was a completely safe and appropriate solution. Now that a playground is proposed for this site, located in a section of the gardens at the back of the Hospital, additional remediation is taking place.

In preparation for the building of the playground, soil sampling in that area of the Hospital's grounds has shown that low levels of asbestos exist (of the 15 soil samples tested, four tested positive for low levels of asbestos). The sampling was conducted from bore samples below the surface, as a routine exercise prior to the development of the site.

The site will be remediated. WorkCover and other unions and agencies, with staff working at or visiting the site, have been advised and consulted.

What is the Hospital doing in regards to the discovery of asbestos at The Children's Hospital at Westmead on a site proposed for the construction of a children's playground?

The Hospital will commence remediation work in August. Once the remediation is completed and the site is declared safe, the playground will be constructed.

What's involved in remediating the site and what does that mean?

Only companies experienced and licensed in the removal of asbestos material are permitted by law in Australia to be employed to do the remediation work. The site will be enclosed with fencing, shade cloth etc and safety measures for the sub-contractor doing the remediation work will be in place. Perimeter air monitoring will be done continuously. Once there is excavation of the material in a controlled manner, a geo-fabric material is laid down and then the site is filled with clean fill. The asbestos will be what is referred to as 'encapsulated'. This ensures no chance of contact with asbestos contaminated material in the future.

How long will the remediation take?

It is estimated that the remediation of the site will take place over a two week period.

Can I still use other areas of the garden during that time?

During this time the remediated site will be blocked off, but all other areas of the gardens are safe for normal activities such as walking, playing and sitting on the grass. Access to Redbank Road and Ronald McDonald House will remain during remediation and construction.

How much is the remediation work expected to cost?

The cost is estimated to be approximately $250,000. The cost will not come out of the Hospital's budget for surgery or patient care. The Hospital has received separate funding from the NSW Department of Health to cover this cost.

During the remediation work - how will this affect the patients and how will they be protected/kept safe?

All necessary measures will be taken to ensure the safety of patients, parents and staff. Removal of asbestos contaminated material is a regular event in Australia and only experienced, licensed companies are employed to do the work. The Occupational Health and Safety Consultant engaged will ensure that the patients and staff will be safe during the remediation.

Please also be aware that people who get health problems from asbestos have usually been exposed to very high levels of airborne asbestos particles for many years. This won't be the case at CHW.

Air testing, done as recently as 20 April 2006, has proven that the site is currently safe.

How safe are visitors, patients and staff at the Hospital?

The Hospital is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of patients, parents and staff.

If the site was remediated when the Hospital was built, then why is asbestos is still being detected today?

During construction of the Hospital in the early 1990s, contaminated soil was capped with clean soil in accordance with Australian standards. Therefore asbestos still remains underground. However, safety issues only need to be addressed if excavation of an affected area occurs. Knowing that an area will be affected alerts the contractor to take appropriate precautions, hence the recommendation of remediation now that a playground is planned to be built.

Why is the Hospital planning to build a playground on this particular site if they know there is asbestos present?

Many building sites in Australia have some asbestos contamination. Asbestos was used extensively during the 1950's to 1970's in building products due to its fire retardancy. It was only found to be unsafe in the 1980s. Hence it is not uncommon for sites to require remediation before building can commence.

Once there is excavation of the material in a controlled manner, a geo-fabric material is laid down and then the site is filled with clean fill. The asbestos will be what is referred to as 'encapsulated'. This ensures no chance of contact with asbestos contaminated material in the future. It will be then be very safe to build a playground on this site.

Why do you need a playground in a children's hospital?

The playground is a wonderful project that has the support of many groups and organisations. Once built, this will be a world class playground for our patients and visitors. The sound of laughter of children playing, climbing and exploring is something we have been looking forward to for a long time. Play is very important for all children and a wonderful form of therapy for sick children.

Wouldn't it be safer to just leave the asbestos where it is and not build the playground?

The work will be carried out to the highest of safety standards. The Hospital would not be proceeding with this work if it felt it was putting patients at risk.

The recent discoveries of asbestos at the Villawood Detention Centre meant all detainees were immediately removed from the site. How is this different? Will you need to move all the patients out of the Hospital?

At Villawood the asbestos material had made its way to the surface. This is not the case at CHW. The asbestos contaminated material is currently underground. The way in which sites are remediated by qualified, experienced professionals means that every necessary precaution is taken, so removal of patients won't be necessary.

How can I get more information?

Fact sheets are available from the Public Relations Department on Level 2.
The Hospital has staff available to answer any concerns you might have.

For Families of Patients and Visitors, please speak to:

• Your Nurse Unit Manager
• Public Relations on Level 2 near the Sandwich Shop, or on Ph. 9845 3364

For Staff, please speak to:

Our Occupational Health & Safety Department.
Contact Ian Palmer on Ph (02) 9845 3557 or Tamara Petty or Ph (02) 9845 3768
Or the Public Relations Department on Ph (02) 9845 3364

For Volunteers:

Jill Jenkins, Volunteers Department on (02) 9845 3841
Or Public Relations on (02) 9845 3364